The object of the present invention is to provide a method to stabilize and secure individual component items in an array during gas flushing and packaging, without obstructing or preventing the free flow of the gas-flush throughout the component items.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to secure an array of components while they are being processed in a gas-flush, heat sealed packaging machine.
Gas-flush, heat sealed packaging is an established and well known process. In the simplest form, it involves placing a perishable food item, such as meat, in a tray which is placed within a gas-impermeable plastic bag. The bag is then flushed with an inert gas (e.g. carbon dioxide) which expels the atmospheric gas (i.e. air) from the bag, at which point the opening to the bag is immediately sealed shut and the perishable food item is contained in a modified atmosphere that substantially prolongs its shelf life and preserves color.
It is often advantageous to so process a plurality of such perishable items in one large package. To do this, the individual items are placed in individual trays and overwrapped with a gas-permeable plastic film to hold them in place. They are then stacked in a rectangular arrangement of rows and columns, called an xe2x80x9carray.xe2x80x9d The array is then transported by such means as a conveyor belt to the gas-flush packaging machine where it is enclosed in a gas-permeable master bag which is then gas flushed and sealed. The area where trays are filled, over-wrapped, and stacked into arrays is often a substantial distance from the gas-flush packaging machine so the array has a long bumpy trip on the conveyor belt.
A problem frequently encountered in processing such arrays of component items results from the fact that upper surface of each component item is rounded, irregular and unpredictable. So when the component items are stacked, they comprise an unstable column, subject tilting, lurching and tumbling out of the array.
So there is a need for a means to stabilize and secure the component items in such an array during processing and until the array can be placed in the gas-impermeable master bag, gas flushed and sealed. However, any such means must not obstruct or prevent the free flow of the gas flush.